The importance of teaching Europe’s past

It matters how Europe teaches its past, and the importance of history teaching has been thrown into sharp focus by the emergence during the Covid pandemic of conspiracy theories and scapegoating of communities that echo the darker periods of Europe’s past.

“Historians engage in very difficult forms of data to read, to reconstitute past thoughts, to understand our own times and anticipate our potential futures,” says Professor Niall Ferguson.

This event report covers the conference ‘History Education for a Democratic Europe’, organised by the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE).

• History at heart – Teaching Europe’s past can protect its future

  News | Politics 08-12-2021

  Est. 4min
  

  How to teach history across Europe, and how it can contribute to a vibrant democratic culture was the question at the heart of a two day annual conference ‘History Education for a Democratic Europe’ last week, organised by the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE).

• ‘We need to know what happened in Europe in order to understand the Europe of today’

  Interview | Future EU 23-12-2021

  Est. 7min
  

  Despite the importance of history teaching to understand our past and present, Matjaž Gruden, director of democratic participation at the Observatory for History Teaching in Europe, worries that it is falling down the list of priorities in education across Europe.

• History education can put democracies back on track

  Opinion | Promoted content | Participatory and Deliberative Democracy 17-01-2022

  Est. 7min
  

  The backsliding of democracy in Europe is also driven by the distortion of historical facts and facilitated by a lack of the will and ability to identify disinformation. History education is a key element in providing future generations with the …

Politics

History at heart – Teaching Europe’s past can protect its future

08/12/2021

4 min. read

Politics

interview

‘We need to know what happened in Europe in order to understand the Europe of today’

23/12/2021

6 min. read

Politics

opinion Promoted content

History education can put democracies back on track

17/01/2022

6 min. read